Just got back from a weekend away with 3 other families - 8 adults and 8 kids (oldest being my 5yr old). Let's just say that it was quite an adventure, but everyone had a wonderful time and we vowed to do it again soon. Thank you Jesus for keeping all of us safe and well, and giving us a wondeful time together.In the spirit of the penultimate question "Are We There Yet?", I thought I will do a update on my resolutions for this year (2006) which I kinda started on in my post about Reflections & Resolutions back in Nov.
In keeping with the theme of my blog, there are 2 main areas:
- Intentional Discipleship
o Care Group – This week we start the rotating leadership model, and meeting weekly (was fortnightly before). Praise God that everyone agreed to the change and I am praying that this will be just the ticket to re-energise my Care Group.
o Toddlers’ Playgroup – The kids and volunteer parents had a great Christmas party while I was away on holiday in Australia. I am taking this to be the sign that the ministry is ready to move on without me. Looking forward to spending a bit more time early Sunday morning (before church) with my boys.
o Quiet Time – So far so good - I have been keeping to my daily 30mins of bible study pretty consistently (even through the vacations away) and the next step is to cultivate the discipline of praying daily for my Care Group. The good thing is that once I get a "rhythm" going, it actually gets harder to "skip" a day. Praise God! - Triathlons
Old Nitrox is no ironman and that's alrite by me. I aim to do a Olympic Distance Triathlon in July, but I have really not been taking my training seriously and this is showing in my (lack of) progress. This is largely due to increased work pressures and then vacations away from home in the last 2 months, but I am hoping that things will "return to normal" now that the new year is here, and I will be able to put in the time and effort to train. In a bid to keep myself honest (and gartner some support), I have started posting my training log in the side bar - so far the mileage is pitiful thanks to my end of year vacations, but hopefully more entries will be coming soon. :)
o Swim - Swimming 1.75km now - read somewhere that it is always betta to swim a bit further than target distance (1.5km), especially in the pool, to build confidence. The frustration is that I am not getting faster and everyone I spoke to tell me it is probably my (lack of) technique. Am seriously considering an investment in the Total Immersion DVD (found the weekend workshop to be too expensive) so I can get back to basics with drills, etc.
o Bike - Biking 40km is not a problem, biking FAST for 40km after the swim is. :) I am trying to do 50km rides every weekend, but it is probably not enough. There may not be much I can do about it since biking takes the most time, and time is something I do not have an abundance of. I did get a cool clip-on aero bar and after a few test rides have got them fitted with a shorter stem (went from the "standard" 120mm to a 100mm stem), and shifted the seat forward a little (15mm). Hope this gives some advantage in terms of aerodynamics and comfort.
o Run - This is probably the biggest hurdle - my knees start hurting after about 8-9km, so my 10 runs are very slow. Like the swim and bike, I aim to do a bit more than the required 10km to build confidence, but I am having difficulty finishing even 10km now. Will need to put in more runs to get them ol' legs used to pounding pavement.
Nope, we are not quite there yet, but with God's grace, we'll get there. :)
10 comments:
Happy New Year!!
You'll have to consider some time on trails, if you aren't already doing it. That should help save your knees for races.
I've had some good runs pain free, lately. Mostly a function of dropping from 50 miles/week to 25.
I had a good 5K run, this morning, at something around 7:45 pace. Now, I'll have to take a few days for easy runs.
Remember, as long as you're racing more for fun and yourself than to win, you'll probably be able to get bigger gains on the bike and run than the swim.
Unless you swim like me. Than there is a lot of room for improvement. LOL! Good to see the plans and the accountability of posting your training on the blog.
Kewl,
I do need some quiet time of my own with God as well.
About your knee problem. I was thinking how in marathon, they advise not to train the full 42 km. Instead, you train up to about 30 km. The rationale behind is is that anything above 30 km (3 hr running) is more damaging for your body.
Perhaps, you can apply the same principle with your knee problem. Instead of running the full distance, maybe do like 75% of it. I am sure u have the cardio capacitiy to do the last few kms.
I find doing bricks is much more beneficial. The run distance from the brick can be short. 4-5 km. Just until your body get use to running after the bike.
Just a thought.
I was listened to a really good sermon on the way to the pool..will share wiht u later.
Hi dgc, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you too! ;) Thanks for dropping by!
Hi Tom, thanks from the very helpful advice. I think with my current (lack of) conditioning I can actually get good gains from all 3 - swim, bike and run - heaps of room for improvement. ;)
Hi Cliff, thanks for your constant encouragement and prayer support. I have learnt the hard way that daily QT with the Lord is crucial for us Christians living in a fallen world. Martin Luther is reported to have said, “I am too busy not to pray.” The busier our lives, the more hectic our schedule, the more essential is our need to pray.
You and Tom are absolutely right that I need to mix in shorter runs both to save my knees and to build some speed. I will start doing that. Will also start doing bricks during weekends soon.
I totally recommend the Ti video or book. Now is the time to work on technique. The more reps you do wrong, the harder it will be to change your stroke. Just my opinion. I wouldn't be to worried about your current distances. That is what training is for. If you could finish a race tommorow in you goal time, what would that leave for training? Just take your current level of cinditioning and focus on next season with imporovement on your mind. Just a thought, hope it helps.
Benny
Thanks benny, makes a lot of sense. Struggled mightily in the pool last evening doing 1.75km and that was the final straw. I am getting the TI book this week. I found the DVD and workshop to be too expensive. :( Will let you know how I go with the drills. A swimmer buddy of mine has also kindly agreed to run a stroke correction session for me next week. Yay!
Hey Zag, thanks. It is my 2nd "read the bible in a year" program. 1st time it took me two years to finish, now I am also only half way thru after one year! So I figure I will just modify it into the "read the bible in 2 years" program. ;) Thanks for the compliment on the aero bar - I am enjoying it!
Hi Susuan, was it was an adventure. But as long as the kids are happy and safe, it is all good. :)
Hey Kewl,
Just thought I'd mention that I helped make you more famous, Sunday. I led our church service and provided the sermon, speaking on how we should approach the new year.
One portion dealt with how we should approach goal setting (seek God's guidance, rather than go it alone). I mentioned that some would be led to physical activity, others would be led to other areas. I mentioned your Intentional Discipleship concept, and discussed how God can use activities such as marathons or health club workouts for His plans.
I don't know if I'll get any running converts, but it seemed to hit home that goals without God are likely to fail. Quite a few people mentioned they were going to have to rethink their resolutions (hopefully after praying about it).
Yo Tom, thanks, it is v encouraging to know that in some small way I contributed to your sermon. :) I am discovering more and more of a link between physical training and intentional discipleship. I am still trying to figure it all out, but at the most basic level, I think physical training exposes us to the discipline needed to follow Christ, and forces us to lean on Him for strength, healing, time management, etc... Probably worth a post by itself once I get my mind fully around the many thoughts about this...
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